Sports in Society: Issues & Controversies

Chapter 14

Sports in High School and College:

Do Varsity Sports Programs

Contribute to Education?

Arguments For and Against Interscholastic Sports

Arguments For: Involve students in

activities Build self-esteem Enhance fitness and

lifetime participation Generate spirit and

unity Promote support Develop and rewards

valued skills

Arguments Against: Distract attention from

academics Create dependence Increase passivity and

injuries Create superficial and

transitory spirit Waste resources Create pressure and

distort status system

Experiences of Varsity Athletes in High Schools

Research shows differences between those who play varsity sports and those who do not

Research suggests that differences are primarily due to selection and filtering processesThose who play varsity sports often have

characteristics that make them different from those who don’t play sports

Methodological Problems

Research on the consequences of playing varsity sports is difficult to do becauseGrowth and development among

students is related to many factorsMeanings given to sport

participation vary by context and from one person to another

Do Athletes Rule U.S. High Schools?

Data on this issue are scarce; research is needed on the following:How many students have been physically

and/or verbally mistreated by athletes?How many students know of cases where

athletes have mistreated others?Are some athlete more likely than others

to harass or intimidate other students?

Student Culture in High Schools

Being a student-athlete often is a source of status and popularity More so for men than for women

Sports are sites for major social occasions in the school

Sports often reproduce dominant ideologies related to gender, social class, and race and ethnicity

Interscholastic Sports Are Valuable If They

Enable students to be noticed, rewarded, and taken seriously as human beings

Connect young people with adult advocates in their lives

Provide occasions to learn things that are applicable beyond sports

Intercollegiate Sports and the Experiences of College Students

Intercollegiate sports are not all the same

They vary by Division in the NCAA

They vary greatly from big-time entertainment-oriented programs to smaller, less expensive, athlete-oriented programs

Characteristics of Big-time (Div. I) Programs

Usually have a primary emphasis on football or men’s basketball and their revenue generating potential

Less than 1 in 5 programs make money

Full scholarships are available to some athletes in many of the 18-24 sports

Teams often travel extensivelyQuality of skills & competition is high

Varsity Athletes in Big-time Programs

Participants in revenue (FB & Basketball) sports usually have scholarships

Time and energy commitments to sport are exceptionally high, and participants often must choose between: Working out and practicing sports Doing coursework Engaging in social activities

Academic detachment is a commonly used coping strategy among male athletes

Varsity Athletes in Most College Programs (Div. II & III)

Most play without athletic scholarships Time and energy commitments vary

greatly depending on coaches and sports Academic demands may be accommodated The economic consequences of games and

matches are minimal

Less likely than “big-time” athletes to be separated from the rest of the student body or used to promote the school

Grades & Graduation Rates Among College Athletes

Graduation data are confusing because there are many different ways to compute statistics

Information on grades must be qualified because athletes Often are overrepresented in certain

courses and majorsIn entertainment-oriented sports come to

college with lower grades and test scores(continued)

Grades & Graduation Rates Among College Athletes (continued)

Graduation rates among all varsity athletes are slightly higher than rates for all students

Graduation rates in many big-time revenue sports are shamefully low

Women athletes have higher graduation rates than men athletes

Black athletes have graduation rates higher than black students as a whole, but lower than rates for white athletes.

Academic Integrity in College Sports

Restoring academic integrity is difficult in programs where athletic success is tied to millions of dollars of revenue and to the emotions & identities of boosters and alumni

Raising academic standards is important, but it must be done so it does not unfairly exclude certain studentsBeing considered: Prevent schools from

participating in post-season bowls and games if graduation rates fall below a certain level

Questions About the Benefits of Interscholastic Programs

School spirit often is enhanced, but does this improve the overall academic climate?

Most programs lose money, but are the expenditures worth it in academic and developmental terms?

Are the public & community relations functions of varsity sports worth their costs?

Varsity Sports & School Budgets

$ Most high school programs have small athletic budgets except in cases where high profile teams are promoted

$ Solving high school or college budget problems with corporate sponsorships may create integrity problems for schools

$ Budget issues in college sports often are very complex

Indirect Benefits of Intercollegiate Programs

High profile sport teams can be used in connection with fund raising efforts

Sport teams may attract attention among potential students

Sports provide on-campus social events and occasions

“I told you we sent our daughter to a top-notch school! Her basketball teams just beat Duke University.”

Figure 14.2

Indirect Costs of Intercollegiate Programs

Maintaining sport teams and recruiting athletes may compromise academic standards in admissions and classrooms

Academic matters are given low priority in the “culture of sport” on many campuses

The lives of athletes are increasingly separate from the lives of other students

Sports may take resources away from other extracurricular activities

Varsity High School Sports: Problems & Recommendations

1. Overemphasis on sports development and big-time models

Need for regular critical assessments and new sports focused on lifetime and co-ed participation

2. Limited participation access Need more teams in more sports where

size and strength are not primary Need gender equity and opportunities for

students with disabilities (continued)

Varsity High School Sports: Problems & Recommendations

3. Emphasis on varsity sports may distort status system among students

Schools should work to eliminate distorted, sport-based systems of privilege

Schools should give equal attention and recognition to the achievements of students in activities other than sports

Intercollegiate Sports: Problems & Recommendations

1. Emphasis on entertainment and commercial values Impose cost containment and spending limits

on athletic departments and sports; create a financially level playing field

2. Lack of athletes’ rights Athletes must be voting members of

decision-making athletic department committees

Universities must employ independent ombudspersons for appeals and advocacy

Drop the myth of amateurism in revenue sports

Intercollegiate Sports: Problems & Recommendations

3. Gender inequities Cut football expenses through cost

containment Fund women’s sports on an investment

basis to foster development (men played for a century before making money in their sport programs)

4. Distorted priorities related to race relations and education

Aggressively recruit ethnic minority students, faculty and administrators

Employ strategies to create culturally diverse campus cultures

Figure 14.4 After having all the toys boys may feel that sharing with the girls is unfair to them.